San Diego Sleep Apnea CentersAppointments: (858) 997-2877

Gary Sigafoos D.D.S.

San Diego Sleep Apnea Centers

At San Diego Sleep Apnea Centers we offer a range of treatment options for sleep apnea. If snoring or obstructed breathing is a problem, call Dr. Sigafoos today to learn how we can help you breathe easier.

Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause serious health problems, so contact us now to schedule an examination.

New and safe sedation dentistry with La Jolla area sedation dentist Dr. Gary Sigafoos means you can have years of dental treatments done quickly while you're lightly sedated, with little or no discomfort. If you've been putting up with discomfort, hiding your smile, or delaying scheduling dental work because you're too busy, your life is about to change. Make a sedation dentistry consultation appointment today with Dr. Sigafoos.

We want your dental treatment to be affordable for you. We're committed to helping you maintain your life-long oral health.

For comfortable tooth cleaning in the La Jolla, California area, Dr. Gary Sigafoos is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at San Diego Sleep Apnea Centers provides dental hygiene treatments for a whiter smile.

Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.

If you need gum disease treatment, La Jolla area gum disease dentist, Dr. Sigafoos offers extensive experience. Unhealthy gums can be a risk factor for more serious health problems if not treated promptly.

Our professional team will assess your situation and create a personalized treatment plan. We're committed to your life-long healthy gums and teeth.

San Diego Sleep Apnea CentersAppointments: (858) 568-8941

Gary Sigafoos D.D.S.

San Diego Sleep Apnea Centers

New and safe sedation dentistry with San Diego area sedation dentist Dr. Gary Sigafoos means you can have years of dental treatments done quickly while you're lightly sedated, with little or no discomfort. If you've been putting up with discomfort, hiding your smile, or delaying scheduling dental work because you're too busy, your life is about to change. Make a sedation dentistry consultation appointment today with Dr. Sigafoos.

If you need gum disease treatment, San Diego area gum disease dentist, Dr. Sigafoos offers extensive experience. Unhealthy gums can be a risk factor for more serious health problems if not treated promptly.

Our professional team will assess your situation and create a personalized treatment plan. We're committed to your life-long healthy gums and teeth.

Gary Sigafoos, D.D.S., in the San Diego area accepts Delta Dental® insurance. Our experienced team at San Diego Sleep Apnea Centers will file your insurance claim for you.

We want your dental treatment to be affordable for you. We're committed to helping you maintain your life-long oral health.

San Diego area gum disease dentist Gary Sigafoos, D.D.S. has extensive experience with gum grafting. If you're suffering from exposed roots or receding gums, we can help.

Our caring, professional team can perform the periodontal surgery you need. You'll once again be able to enjoy having healthy teeth and gums.

Dr. Sigafoos has extensive experience providing gingivitis treatments in the San Diego area. Bleeding gums can lead to more serious health problems if not treated promptly.

Our friendly, professional team will evaluate your needs and design a personal treatment plan. We'll help you have healthy gums and teeth for life.

What To Expect From Immediate Dentures

Immediate dentures are placed in the mouth directly after the remaining teeth are extracted. This approach is utilized when a person does not want to be without any teeth for several months while extraction tooth sockets heal and a denture is fabricated.

Immediate Dentures Involve a Two-Step Denture Process

Optimally, immediate dentures are the first denture of a two-denture process and should be considered as a temporary interim prosthesis until a second refined and esthetically enhanced denture may be constructed after healing.

First Stage

Usually, most or all of the back teeth are removed and extraction sites are allowed to heal for a minimum of six weeks or more, depending upon an individual's healing rate.

After adequate healing, the immediate dentures unit is fabricated.

The remaining teeth are extracted and the immediate dentures are placed in the mouth. Wearing immediate dentures right away over extractions normally is no more uncomfortable than the extractions alone.

Discomfort is managed with proper anesthesia and pain medication. Immediate dentures act like a Band Aid bandage, holding tissues together and protecting them during healing.

Generally, the dentist does not remove immediate dentures until the day after surgery. Surgery is checked and denture adjustments are made as necessary.

Immediate dentures will gradually become loose because of bone shrinkage as the jaw continues to heal. Provisional liners are placed in the loosening denture to help hold it in place during healing.

Adhesives also maintain the denture in place as it becomes looser. If immediate dentures become too loose during this healing period of several months, it may be necessary to reline multiple times.

Second Stage

After adequate healing has occurred, a second refined denture is fabricated. This denture allows the dentist to artistically position teeth in an optimal and enhanced esthetic relationship, which was not possible with immediate dentures. It also is now possible to establish better functional relationships of the jaws.

Approximately six months after the second denture is delivered, it will most likely need to be relined to compensate for continuing jaw shrinkage. After this reline, a patient usually needs annual relines to accommodate a continually shrinking jaw.

The frequency of relines is an individual matter unique to each patient and is best determined by a licensed dentist after a thorough periodic examination that should occur at six-month intervals.

Modified Approaches to Immediate Dentures

It is possible to extract all the back and front teeth at one time and insert immediate dentures. However, such an approach is problematic and generally is discouraged unless the patient has no other alternatives.

All teeth may be extracted with no interim denture while the jaws heal and a denture is fabricated. This is generally a more economical approach, but an individual would be without teeth for several months.

Advantages of Immediate Dentures

A person is not without teeth for any extended period of time.

Immediate dentures act as a bandage while bony tooth sockets are healing after tooth extractions.

Disadvantages of Immediate Dentures

A second refined and esthetically enhanced denture is necessary soon after the immediate dentures.

While the cost of immediate dentures is generally about the same as a conventional denture, the second denture needs to be fabricated soon after the immediate denture. Therefore, a person would be experiencing the additional cost of the second denture sooner.

by Joseph J. Massad, D.D.S.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Root Caries: An Epidemic of Age

People are living longer and keeping their natural teeth more than ever before. The advances in tooth retention, the desire to look one's best, and higher expectations about oral health have raised dental awareness among older adults.

With the significant increase in the older portion of society, with even greater increases expected, more older adults will have more teeth that are susceptible to root caries. Root caries may emerge as one of the most significant dental problems among older adults during the next decade. A recent study conducted by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) showed that over half of older adults have decayed or filled root surfaces. The frequency of root caries is strongly age-dependent and will continue to be a major dental problem among the elderly.

Root caries lesions can be caused by new or primary root caries, caries around existing dental fillings or recurrent caries, and abrasion or erosion of the root surfaces. Root caries progress quickly due to the relatively soft nature of the root surface, as well as the risk factors associated with the incidence of root caries.

Risk factors associated with the high prevalence of root caries among older adults include decrease salivary flow or xerostomia, exposure of root surfaces due to periodontal (gum) disease, chronic medical conditions, radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, physical limitations, and diminished manual dexterity due to stroke, arthritis, or Parkinson's disease, cognitive deficits due to mental illness, depression, Alzheimer's disease or dementia, Sjögren's syndrome (an autoimmune disease), diabetes, poor oral hygiene, multiple medication use, and changes in dietary habits. One or more of these risk factors or life changes, which are more common among older adults, can increase root caries in an individual who has not had dental caries for many years.

Root caries can be a challenge for the dentist to treat depending on the size and the type of root caries lesion, the extent and rate of caries activity for that person, the physical and mental condition of the individual, and where the root caries are located in the mouth. Many root lesions have limited accessibility and visibility, are often more complicated by pre-existing extensive dental work, and are difficult to isolate from oral fluids during the restoration process. Also, many people who have widespread root lesions have limited tolerance for dental treatment because of medical conditions, illness, and mental health problems.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.